Norwegian all aboard time

[Podyon18]

I was under the impression that all aboard time is 30 minutes prior to departure when in port. On the NCL website it says that passengers must be on the ship 1 hour prior to departure. What is the actual all aboard time on NCL? 
 

specifically asking as I’d love to dive in Tortola on my upcoming encore cruise. Dice manager says he can definitely get me back to the ship by 1:30 for a 2PM departure. Worth it? Or too risky?

[cruiseny4life]

10 minutes ago, Podyon18 said:

I was under the impression that all aboard time is 30 minutes prior to departure when in port. On the NCL website it says that passengers must be on the ship 1 hour prior to departure. What is the actual all aboard time on NCL? 
 

specifically asking as I’d love to dive in Tortola on my upcoming encore cruise. Dice manager says he can definitely get me back to the ship by 1:30 for a 2PM departure. Worth it? Or too risky?

In my experience all aboard time has typically been 30 minutes prior to departure, however it's possible this could change based on any number of factors. I'd say in most circumstances you'd be fine, but there is certainly a possibility you'd be late. You will know the specific all aboard time prior to getting off the ship.

[ColeThornton]

14 minutes ago, Podyon18 said:

I was under the impression that all aboard time is 30 minutes prior to departure when in port. On the NCL website it says that passengers must be on the ship 1 hour prior to departure. What is the actual all aboard time on NCL? 
 

specifically asking as I’d love to dive in Tortola on my upcoming encore cruise. Dice manager says he can definitely get me back to the ship by 1:30 for a 2PM departure. Worth it? Or too risky?

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is it possible you are mixing up the embarkation on sailing day from the home port vice the ports-of-call?

[RedwingHockeyFan]

2 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Is it possible you are mixing up the embarkation on sailing day from the home port vice the ports-of-call?

Embarkation is 2 hours

[ColeThornton]

1 minute ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

Embarkation is 2 hours

 

 

Agree, but OP is a newby and may have wrong info.

[JesseB]

Last week it was 30min prior during port stops

[Podyon18]

14 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Agree, but OP is a newby and may have wrong info.

Most certainly am a newby! But see the screen shot of ncl’s website 

[BirdTravels]

3 minutes ago, Podyon18 said:

Most certainly am a newby! But see the screen shot of ncl’s website 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. 

 

You came for information. Experienced NCL cruises are telling you that all aboard time is 30 minutes before departure. If you want to be back 1 hour in advance, you will satisfy the required all aboard time. 

[njhorseman]

50 minutes ago, Podyon18 said:

I was under the impression that all aboard time is 30 minutes prior to departure when in port. On the NCL website it says that passengers must be on the ship 1 hour prior to departure. What is the actual all aboard time on NCL? 
 

specifically asking as I’d love to dive in Tortola on my upcoming encore cruise. Dice manager says he can definitely get me back to the ship by 1:30 for a 2PM departure. Worth it? Or too risky?

Very simply, the correct all aboard time for each port of call will be published in the Freestyle Daily as well as posted on a sign at the gangway that you'll see as you're exiting the ship.

 

In the overwhelming majority of ports the all aboard time will 30 minutes prior to sailing, but never assume what it is...obey the time published in the Freestyle Daily that is also posted at the gangway.

 

One big thing to pay attention to is if you're in a tender port you need to know the time of the last tender departure from shore, which will likely be at least an hour prior to sailing .

 

Personally I'm not comfortable with an independent shore excursion operator that runs on such a tight schedule unless I know a lot about them and their reputation. I prefer little more cushion built in, but that's me. Others may be comfortable with it.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Podyon18 said:

specifically asking as I’d love to dive in Tortola on my upcoming encore cruise. 

Be prepared to drive on the British side of the road. I used to run a car fleet in the UK primarily used by Americans and there were always cars with missing mirrors and damage because of their inability to adapt to proper driving. 

[PATRLR]

@Podyon18 As others have said, 30 minutes is the standard and what I have observed.  

More important is the reliability of the excursion operator.  I'd make sure they have a long term, excellent reputation.  Their reputation (aka their livelihood) is at stake if they don't get you back on time.  

I personally would be OK with an operator getting me back 30 minutes prior to departure assuming they met my criteria for reputation.

The Tortola forums might be of interest here.  Search for your operator to see if there are any experiences with them.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/202-tortola/

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Be prepared to drive on the British side of the road. I used to run a car fleet in the UK primarily used by Americans and there were always cars with missing mirrors and damage because of their inability to adapt to proper driving. 

What does that have to do with a dive master getting him back to the ship on time. He won’t be driving anywhere. 

[complawyer]

not to worry. there is always a large sign at the door before you get off the ship, advising when the passengers need to be back, and when the crew needs to be back. so if you just make sure you read the sign you should have no trouble. 

some people enjoy sitting on their balconies, watching latecomers run and try to get on board just before the ship is about to sail. i believe they are affectionately referred to as "pier runners"

[Travelling2Some]

4 hours ago, zqvol said:

What does that have to do with a dive master getting him back to the ship on time. He won’t be driving anywhere. 

If you scroll up, it would appear that there has been some confusion between the words "dive" and "drive".  Easy mistake.

[Travelling2Some]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Be prepared to drive on the British side of the road. I used to run a car fleet in the UK primarily used by Americans and there were always cars with missing mirrors and damage because of their inability to adapt to proper driving. 

Could be those narrow roads lined with stone walls cunningly concealed by innocent looking greenery:)  One of my daughters recently knocked her side mirror off (in NYC) and is still being kidded about it.  Anytime you hit a stationary object you have to expect that.  On the other hand it is better to knock the mirror off than to hit the oncoming car.

Edited January 18, 2023 by Travelling2Some

[itsnotjustme]

A word of caution - Do not rely on a cell phone obtaining time from the local network.  Local time and ship time may not be the same.

[Podyon18]

Thank you all for the insight and advice.  Much appreciated. End of the day the excursion operator is declining, saying he’s (understandably) not comfortable with cutting it that closes. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by Podyon18